Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

There are two issues at stake; first and foremost there was a commitment in Towards 2016 that there would be a streamlining of the JLCs. As there are too many of them, we wanted to streamline them in order to have strong representation. There is also the issue of the independence of a chairperson.

Since then there have been challenges to the way we make the orders and it is required in the legislation that we would have the cover of the Oireachtas through ministerial order rather than us delegating too many functions from this House to the Labour Court. That was the issue challenged in the courts. I am sure people would not object to the streamlining of JLCs but in the actual detail-----

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